It's Not a Walk in the Park: Experiences of Student-Athletes Majoring in STEM

• In Event: College Athletics: Academic and Organizational Success

Abstract

Scholarship pertinent to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I athletes in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) remains warranted. This qualitative study sought to gain insight into athletes’ college experiences that contribute to their persistence to STEM degree attainment. Using an adapted framework consisting of Bean’s (1990) longitudinal model of student attrition and asset-based lens, the findings note the quest for equilibrium, personal drive, and reliance on support networks as part of common experiences among athletes in STEM. Persistence to degree was influenced by athletes’ interactions within the institution but also attitudinal and external factors beyond the control of universities. Collectively, these elements resulted in athletes’ satisfaction with majoring in STEM and subsequent intent to persist to degree attainment.

Authors

• Nikola Grafnetterova, Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi

• Hilda Cecilia Contreras Aguirre, New Mexico State University

• Rosa Maria Banda, Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi